The Busy Woman s Garden Book 



the fall when it was found that the muck had 

 practically disappeared, the plants -having lit- 

 erally consumed it. Left on the surface of the 

 soil the muck would have dried into a hard, in- 

 tractable mass, fit only for fuel. 



If one had a supply of raw muck available and 

 wished to apply it to the garden it could be han- 

 dled by following the plough and shovelling the 

 muck into the open furrow; the next furrow 

 turned would cover it. It would be of much 

 benefit and would be turned to the surface again 

 in the following spring ploughing. This should 

 not be expected to take the place of barnyard 

 manure, as it would lack some elements contained 

 in that but it could be combined with such com- 

 mercial fertilizers as the condition of the soil 

 might suggest — lime, for instance, might be in- 

 dicated by the sourness of the soil. If sorrel is 

 j^lentif ul on the ground it is a pretty good indica- 

 tion that lime is in order, but one need not depend 

 upon its presence for data as these may be quickly 

 attained by the use of blue litmus paper which 

 may be obtained of any druggist. Its use is sim- 

 ple ; if the soil is very wet, simply pressing a strip 



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